1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for separating linker-coupled substances from a polymer surface, wherein the bond between the linker and the surface is separated by one or several polar organic solvents, with the linkers according to the present invention comprising at least one structural element capable of forming a hydrogen bond. Polymers on the surface of which the bond to be separated according to the invention occurs, comprise, preferably in side chains of the polymer backbone, carbonyl groups in the form of keto groups or carboxylic acid groups or their derivatives.
2. Description of the Related Art
The principle of interaction of certain linkers with such polymer surfaces is described in WO 98/46648. By using linker-modified surfaces and/or linker-modified active substances, this principle can be employed for example to remove active substances from liquids or to expose such substances to liquids. The cited application furthermore discloses the use of the interaction principle in connection with comprehensive medical processes. Thus, by means of an adsorption system consisting of a polymer surface and a linker being coupled therewith and comprising functional groups, active substances which form a bond with the functional groups present in the linker can be removed from body liquids. Moreover, such a system allows the selective introduction of active substances into the body of a patient without the substance spreading widely in the body, which otherwise might cause potential complications and side effects. Also, the coupling principle described in the application WO 98/46648 allows a modification of surfaces getting into contact with physiological systems such as for example prostheses, filters for physiological liquids or dialysers. The linkers, comprising at least one structural element capable of forming a hydrogen bond, show a surprisingly high bond strength after being applied to said surfaces so that they can be removed from these surfaces neither by increasing the temperature, e.g. to up to 70° C. nor by rinsing with aqueous solutions, even if the solutions had high ionic strengths such as 2N glycine or 2N urea, or pH values in the range from 2 to 13.
In certain applications, however, the possibility of a gentle removal of the linker-coupled substances from the surface matrix would be desirable. This is the case for example if an analysis of the substances after their coupling with the linker and the removal from the respective liquid for diagnostic or research purposes is desired. Moreover, a separation would be necessary in cases wherein before reusing the surface or the linker-coupled substance, either one or both components can be sterilized in order to be then reused separately or in combination.